Wall cleaning apparatus



Aug. 16, 1938. (2.1.. ATKINSON WALL CLEANING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Aug. 16, 1935 Aug. 16, 1938. c. ATKINSON 2,127,051

' WALL CLEANING APPARATUS Original Filed Aug. 16, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 C- L flikinson Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNlTED STATES PATENT or ies Application August 16, 1935, Serial No. 36,589 Renewed January 25, 1938 2 Claims.

This invention relates to cleaning apparatus and more particularly to a device for cleaning walls of buildings and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide a 5 comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character by means of which the walls of a building or other structure may be cleaned in a more efiicient and economical manner than heretofore.

A further object of the invention is to provide a wall cleaning device including a rotary cleaning element having tapered or conical ends to facilitate cleaning corners and other places inaccessible with the ordinary blunt-ended cleaning head, means being provided for rotating the cleaning element as it is drawn over a wall or other surface to be cleaned.

A further object is to construct the cleaning element in two sections, each formed of sponge rubber and adapted to fit over and snugly engage suitable supporting cylinders driven from a source of motive power, the inner walls of the sections being lined with live rubber to strengthen the sponge rubber and cause the sections to firmly adhere to their supporting cylinders.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efiiciency.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view partly in elevation of a rotary wall cleaning apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the man 40 ner of cleaning the walls at the corner of a room.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side elevation illustrating a modified form of the invention particularly adapted for commercial use.

The improved wall cleaning apparatus forming the subject-matter of the present invention may be used for either domestic or commercial use and in Figure 1 of the drawings there is illustrated one embodiment of the invention espe- 50 cially designed for domestic use. The device comprises a casing or housing 5 preferably formed in two sections detachably connected by screws or similar fastening devices 6 so that the parts may be readily separated in order to obtain access to the interior of the casing when desired.

The sections comprising the casing are pro vided with laterally extending flanges l in which are mounted suitable anti-friction bearings 8 and extending through said bearings is a horizontally dsposed shaft 9, as best shown in Figure l of the drawings. Surrounding each end of the shaft 9 are cylindrical supporting members It! preferably formed of wood, although they may, if desirect'be constructed of light metal or other suitable material. The ends of the cylinders ii! are formed with seating recesses H which receive the adjacent ends of the shaft 9, said ends being threaded, as indicated at 12, for engagement with clamping nuts [3 which, in turn, bear against wear plates or washers I in the recesses H and serve to clamp the cylinders in engagement with the shaft to rotate therewith. Surrounding the cylinders I0 is a cleaning element l5 preferably formed of sponge rubber and made in two sections, as shown. The outer end of each section of the cleaning element I5 is tapered or conical, as indicated at l6, so as to permit the cleaning element to enter corners and other places inaccessible with the ordinary blunt-ended cleaning head, this position of the tool being clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The inner wall of each section of the cleaning element I5 is provided with a thin sheet of live rubber ll preferably vulcanized to the sponge rubber and which serves to reinforce the latter and cause close adhesion between the sections of the cleaning element and their respective supporting cylinders.

Keyed or otherwise secured to the central portion of the shaft 9 and disposed within the casing 5 is a worm gear l8 which meshes with a worm I9 on a stub shaft 20. The opposite ends of the stub shaft are journaled in suitable ball bearings 2| and the lower end of the stub shaft is provided with a square socket 22 which receives the correspondingly squared end of a vertical power shaft 23 leading to an electric or other type of portable motor, indicated at 2 Surrounding the shaft 23 and preferably formed integral with the casing 5 is a tubular housing 25, the lower end of which fits over a boss 26 on the motor 2% and is secured thereto by a clamping screw 2?. The motor 24 is provided with a suitable switch 28 connected with an electrical conductor 29 leading to a cut-in plug so that the device may be conveniently connected in a house circuit. It

will here be noted that inasmuch as the sections comprising the cleaning element are of sponge rubber and lined with live rubber, said sections when positioned over the cylinders will frictionally engage the same to rotate therewith but can be easily removed for repairs or replacement by exerting a-slight longitudinal pull on the sections until they become disengaged from the cylinders.

In operation, the apparatus is supported in the hand with the cleaning element in contact with the wall or other surface to be cleaned and as said cleaning element is moved over the surface of the wall, the rapid rotation of the cleaning element will effectually remove dirt, grease, and other foreign matter which may have adhered thereto so as to render the walls clean, fresh, and sanitary. When cleaning the walls at the corners of a room, either conical end of the cleaning element is positioned in the corner of the room and as the cleaning element is rotating at a rapid speed, all dirt or foreign matter will be removed from said corners. In Figure 5 of the drawings there is illustrated a modified form of the invention particularly adapted for commercial use in which motion is imparted from a stationary motor 30 through the medium of a flexible cable 3! to the cleaning element 32, the construction and operation of the device being otherwise similar to that shown in Figure l of the drawings.

The devices may be made in different sizes and shapes and constructed of any suitable material without departing from the spirit of the invention. It will also be understood that while I have shown a worm and worm gear for driving the horizontal shaft, any other desired form of gearing may be employed for transmitting power from the motor to said cleaning element.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A cleaning device comprising a tubular handle, a casing at the front end of said handle, a shaft extending through the casing transversely thereof with portions projecting from opposite sides of the casing and provided with threaded terminals, annular collars projecting from sides of said casing about said shaft, bearings for said shaft surrounded by said collars, supporting cylinders surrounding the projecting portions of the shaft and movable therewith, inner ends of the cylinders being formed with pockets snugly receiving the collars and the bearings, the outer ends of said cylinders being formed with seating recesses, washers fitting over the ends of the shaft within the recesses, nuts engaging the threaded terminals of the shaft within the recesses and bearing against the washers, cleaning elements fitting snugly about the supporting cylinders, a worm gear secured to the intermediate portion of the shaft and housed within the easing, a worm meshing with the gear wheel, a stub shaft in said casing on which the Worm is mounted, said stub shaft having its rear end extending into said handle and provided with a socket, a motor, and a power shaft having one end thereof connected with the motor, said motor shaft extending longitudinally through said handle and having its front end fitting in said socket.

2. A cleaning device comprising a stationary casing having detachably connected side sections and a tubular handle, annular flanges extending from opposite sides of said casing, ball bearings seated in said flanges, a shaft extending through the casing and said ball bearings with portions projecting from opposite sides of the casing and provided with threaded terminals, supporting cylinders surrounding the projecting portions of said shaft and provided with seating recesses at their outer ends, nuts disposed within said seating recesses and engaging the threaded ends of the shaft, a gear wheel secured to the intermediate portion of the shaft and disposed within the casing, a stub shaft in said casing extending transversely of the first shaft, ball bearings for opposite ends of the stub shaft, a pinion carried by the stub shaft and meshing with the gear wheel, a motor, and a power shaft extending longitudinally through said handle and connecting the motor with the stub shaft.

CHARLES L. ATKINSON. 

